Work, School and Rain

The passage of time and change of season are evident here in Portland where the rains have begun.  We have been pleasantly surprised, though, how warm it stays when it rains here. Back in Pullman, the rain is often quite cold; sometimes you just wish it would snow instead of rain. In Portland over the past few weeks, the rain and clouds have been burning off by early afternoon on most days, but the locals tell us that the days of gray darkness will soon come!

Bacon and Yogurt!

Since I last posted a lot has gone on in our lives.  Karen has been doing an amazing job and getting high accolades from her managers at the restaurant where she is a waitress.  She has gotten past the steep part of the learning curve and is feeling a rhythm in her work, resulting in a significant reduction in her stress level.  She is also receiving better shifts and really raking in the tips.  She's working 4-5 evenings a week from about 5-9.  While mom is at work, Grace and I hang out until it's time for her to go to bed.  I really enjoy spending more time with her than I did a few months ago.  We are working hard on her letters and she is able to identify several letters correctly now.  We also count the stairs as we walk up to or down from our apartment.  She is a really sweet and well-behaved kid; we have been blessed amazingly.

In the latter part of September I started the Aviation Maintenance Technology program at Portland Community College. Classes run M-F from 7 am to noon.  Our apartment is less than 15 minute walk away, so I just walk back and forth to school each day.  The program is going well for me, and I am done with the first module already.  There are about 20 people in the cohort (class) and we all get along quite well, which is important since there are many group projects.  There is a substantial range in age and background among my fellow students, but most of them say, "I was always fascinated with airplanes (or helicopters) since I was a little kid."  Lots of kindred spirits! Two others in my cohort in the program are headed for missionary aviation, as well as several more in the upper cohorts.  Several of the instructors have been directly involved in mission aviation.

Weighing an aircraft with a team of students

Much of the program is hands-on work.  For example, several different teams in the class weighed an aircraft and then made a record of that weight as if it was an official record that would be used in actual service.  The program is well respected in the industry and does a great job of breaking up the massive amount of learning necessary to pass the FAA written and practical exams into bite-sized pieces.  So far I'm really enjoying the experience and I'm looking forward to each day.

During the first two weeks of classes, I was somewhat distracted by the fact that my oral/practical exam (also known as a checkride) to become a Certified Flight Instructor (CFI) was impending and then ongoing.  The CFI checkride is one of the most challenging in aviation because the FAA wants to make sure that instructors who are teaching people to fly airplanes are qualified, knowledgeable, know how to teach and will teach proper procedures by both word and example.  This is understandable and I'm glad that the requirements are stringent, but it does make for a long and difficult trek to becoming a CFI.  Because of this, my primary activity outside of family for three months after moving to Portland was preparing for this exam through study, lesson plan creation and actual flying of aircraft as if teaching a student.  I received instruction to this end from Aero Maintenance Flight Center in Vancouver.  I can't say enough nice things about the people there and especially my primary instructor, Theresa. The course of instruction I received there not only prepared me to be a flight instructor but also improved my professionalism and knowledge base.    

Joe has been a flight instructor for five minutes

The FAA approved examiner assigned to my checkride is notable for having extensive checkrides, and mine was no exception.  Due to my school schedule, the examiner's schedule and a maintenance issue with an airplane, the checkride took place in three different sessions spread over eight days.  The total time of the examination was over 12 hours, of which the bulk was oral questioning, followed by about 2 hours of flying airplanes with the examiner.  On Saturday, October 4, the examiner signed off that I am a certified flight instructor. 

Once I had this certification I was qualified to apply for positions as a flight instructor.  I interviewed at at Hillsboro Aviation and just received word that I have been accepted to a position as a flight instructor.  The location and hours of this job are a perfect fit.   

In summary, it is both exciting and humbling to see how God has worked everything out for our family over the past few months as we follow His will for our lives.   We are also grateful and thankful for the prayers and support we receive from our family and friends.  

New Adventures in Portlandia

Well Joe has been asking me for a couple weeks to write about our new adventures in Portland and while I love to procrastinate, the time has come to update you all. We have been living here for a little over a month now and it is starting to feel like home! I love this area; it has the best of both worlds. We live at the very edge of Portland and there is a hay field across the street as well as several awesome walking trails right by our house so that makes it feel like Pullman. But if I drive two miles down the road, we are right smack in the middle of the Tanasbourne district with tons of shopping, outlet stores and restaurants. They have a huge library with a great kids section and all of these outdoor fountains around that the kids can play in. There is also a little strip mall and an Albertsons right below our apartment. I am definitely a fan of living in the burbs. 


  

Joe has been working hard to get his flight instructor permit. He drives up to Vancouver several times a week to get instruction and practice his skills. Gracie shares his love of airplanes and gets excited whenever she hears them fly overhead. For a long time, she called them "air-d-da's" but now she usually uses the right word. 

Reading with Daddy

Speaking of Gracie, she is growing up so fast and talking more and more every day. She loves to take Spike for walks, go the pool and read books. She is also a great helper in the kitchen and will stand on a chair and "help" me fix food. One of the things we didn't expect is how much she would miss and ask for her cousins and friends in Pullman, but fortunately she has been able to FaceTime with her cousins as well as meet several new friends. 























We got to take Grace to the coast a couple weeks ago. She loved the sand and would have loved playing in the water but it was so cold it made her cry every time the water hit her. 

 On the way home we visited the Tillamook cheese factory. The best part? Free samples!! 

I got a job working at The Old Spaghetti Factory. It has been more challenging than I expected but I love the people and the work. For those who know me well, it's like getting to work football every day! I definitely have a new respect for waitresses though. All that food is hard to carry and its tough to remember what everyone needs and get it done quick enough to keep them happy. I definitely will tip great waitresses more from now on! :)

Hope that you all are well! You are in our thoughts and prayers. Send us a note with how you are doing or better yet come visit soon!!

In Portland!

The house shrank as I backed the van toward it!

All our stuff in the van

We have had a really busy week.  Last Saturday, some good friends showed up to help us with final packing at our old house in Pullman.  By the time the day was up, almost everything was in boxes.  On Sunday we rested a bit and said some more goodbye's.  On Monday, Karen's brother drove me to Spokane to pick up the van. Then Karen's other brother, my uncle and my mom helped us load the van (thanks, everybody!).  

The really big van. At first it looked like we would never fill it up, but somehow we managed. It was nice not to have to pack it very carefully, because we had plenty of space.  With all the help, we were done loading by early afternoon.  Our friend Ruth came over to help with cleaning and we had an empty, clean house by 5 pm.  

Empty!

Goodbye Pullman!

Karen and I decided to start the trip to Portland and make it to a friend's house in the Tri-Cities in order to break up the journey.  First we stopped in to say hi/bye to Gracie at Grandma's house.

On the road in the truck: Mt. Hood and the Columbia River

We arrived in the Tri-Cities about 9:30pm. Thanks, Michael and Lettie for letting us crash at your place! Tuesday we were off by 7 am. Grandparents and Gracie set off from Pullman in another vehicle about the same time.  The race was on: we had a 140 mile head start but we were driving the slow moving van. The drive was beautiful and pretty stress free. We arrived about around noon, an hour ahead of the rest of the crew, had some lunch and got our apartment keys.  The unpacking of the van started around 2.  
When we signed up for it, it seemed like a good idea to get an apartment on the third floor.  After about 20 trips up the stairs with boxes, that seemed like less of a good idea.  Plus, it was over 90F outside.  All of us were dripping with sweat, chugging water and Gatorade. Karen's mom took care of Gracie and we just soldiered on, up and down, up and down. We finally called off work for the evening and went to eat.  Here is the tired crew:

Heroes!

Wednesday was mop up of the last few remaining items, and unpacking. The crew left Wednesday evening.  A massive thanks goes out to my parents, Karen's mom and Karen's brothers for their help.  We could not have done it without all of you.  
We are now on our own in Portland. We have been unpacking, exploring the neighborhood, making address changes, working on resumes--all the myriad of details that surround moving.  

Gracie in her new apartment

Please know that your prayers for our move were answered; it really could not have gone any better. Your prayers are much appreciated. 
The next step for us is to get jobs. For Karen, this involves applying for a waitress job (she's already gotten her Oregon food handling permit!)  For me, this involves finishing my CFI (certified flight instructor) and then getting a job as a CFI. 

Moving This Week

The time has come. The boxes are packed (well most of them). We will be loading the moving truck Monday morning and driving it to Portland on Tuesday. The past few days have been busy ones; full of decisions on what to pack, how to pack it, what to keep and what not keep. We have been busy trying to get rid of excess stuff for the past six months but still I'm amazed at how much we have. This is the stack of boxes in the front room that is ready for loading on Monday:

The other thing we have been doing a lot of in the past few days is saying goodbye. Almost every day this past week has included a visit with a good friend who we will be seeing less frequently. Then there were the group goodbyes at work and at church. Today we had our last visit to my parents' farm, where Gracie had to say goodbye to her beloved "ba-ba's":

A big thanks to all of those who have helped us get ready to move and who helped us pack. We couldn't have done it without you. I will post an update on the move as soon as I can after we get settled in Portland. We also appreciate all the warm wishes we have received and the prayers we know you are sending up for us. 

Looking Back and Looking Ahead

Today was my last day of work at VMRD. I have mixed feelings at this point. I have worked there full-time for the last eight years, and part time since the late 90s. Of course it is also my family's business. It has been an awesome place to work, and I am very grateful for my time there. I am leaving a lot of good friends and good people. I guess the best description would be that I'm wistful. On the other hand I'm extremely excited about our future. It is a tremendous opportunity to be able to serve God and at the same time to do something I love. There will be a lot of work and it will not always be easy, but it is what I am meant to do. 

Tomorrow we will begin a new chapter in the life of this family. The first order of business is to get moved to Portland. Karen has been doing an awesome job getting things ready for the move over the past few months. Now I will be able to help her with the move preparation full-time. Since I need a job when we get there, I will also be pushing very hard in the next few weeks toward getting my CFI. We would appreciate prayers for strength, wisdom and safety over the next few weeks as we move.

Meanwhile, this little cutie is being cute:

The last leg of the delivery and back home

The airplane delivery is complete and the buyers are happy with their purchase.  So ends 16 1/2 hours of me flying and 8 hours of travel on United Airlines over four days.  Again, I appreciate everyone praying for a safe and successful trip.

The Route from the morning of Friday, June 13

What it looks like inside a cloud.  Kinda white.
This is called IMC.

Friday morning I was off by 9, and since the weather looked sketchy beginning in New York, I decided to divide the final leg to Boston into two sections, deviating from my original plan to make one leap from Traverse City, MI to Boston.  The stop in Pen Yan, New York allowed me to take a look at the weather, rest a little, and refuel.  As it turned out, this stop was an excellent decision, which I'll talk about later. The route from Michigan to New York took me over a military operations area over Lake Huron. As it happened, this was an active area at that time, so ATC asked me to descend to 5000 feet and to deviate from my planned route somewhat, which left me in a layer of rather bumpy clouds for some time.  

Lake Huron

Eventually they allowed me to climb to my planned altitude of 7000 feet, and resume a direct route to Pen Yan. I had a nice view of Lake Huron at one point, and spent some time over Canada, talking to Canadian ATC (they're just as nice as US ATC people!).  Other than deviating a little for some small rainstorms near Buffalo, it was smooth sailing and I made a visual landing in Pen Yan, where I took on fuel. 

This is Canada

After about an hour at Pen Yan I was off again, on the final leg to Boston.  Originally I had wanted to go to Norwood Airport, which is where the buyers are based, but because of low clouds in Boston, I filed a flight plan to the Bedford, MA airport, which has a precision approach procedure (ILS) for low weather conditions.  If I had not been a hurry I would have read the notice that the ILS system at Bedford was out of service.  But I didn't find that out until later when I checked the weather at Bedford while en route. At that point I amended my plan back to the desired airport, Norwood. The only problem is that there is no precision approach at Norwood so you can't get as low.  But before I get to that let me tell you about the thunderstorms.  

The Route from the afternoon of Friday, June 13

Because they are full of nasty things like downdrafts, updrafts, turbulence, hail and lightning, thunderstorms (the yellow and red areas of the radar on the map) kill airplanes of all sizes.  No one flies through them, not even jumbo jets (so next time your flight is delayed because of them, don't get mad at the airline or the crew; they can't do anything about it).  Fortunately, most of the time you can just go around thunderstorms. ATC has pretty good weather radar that allows them to tell me which way to turn to avoid the thunderstorms, and the storm clouds are also pretty visible when you're near them.  Actually they are beautiful too. In any case, I got to thread my way through a group of storms in New York and began the approach to Boston.  

Thunderstorms over NY - Dangerous Beauty

Finally on the Ground in Manchester

As I mentioned earlier, as I approached Boston, I amended my destination to Norwood, and ATC cleared me to descend and begin my approach.  Unfortunately, the approach procedure did not allow me to get below the clouds and see the runway at Norwood.  However, that is not the end of the world; it's just a setback. You have to do what is called "execute the missed approach."  The approach is dead; it's time to start another.  So I climbed the airplane away from Norwood and asked ATC for a precision approach into another airport.  They gave me an approach into Lawrence, MA, but again, I was not able to see the runway. This is when the I realized that the decision to take on fuel in New York had been a good one!  Because of that fuel stop, I still had 2 hours of fuel left, so it never became a concern.  Once again, I asked for a precision approach, into a different airport, and to an airport that had better weather.  ATC obliged, and I made a precision approach (ILS) into Manchester airport in New Hampshire.  This time, I broke out of the clouds, the runway appeared, and I landed.  

By this time, it was late afternoon.  Since I was over 60 miles north of them, the buyers and I agreed that I would stay overnight in Manchester and fly the airplane to Norwood on Saturday morning when the weather cleared.  Just after noon on Saturday, I landed in Norwood.  After meeting the buyers, we all went for a ride in the airplane.  Then they took me to Boston Logan Airport, where I took a flight home. Karen picked me up in Spokane and we drove back to Pullman. 

Proud New Owners

It was a really great experience and enjoyable trip overall. I gained an enhanced appreciation for the great job that ATC does every day for so many aircraft.  It's really a good system that keeps people safe. Above all, I'm grateful for the Lord's guidance and protection.

24 Hours Into the Delivery

Here is an update on the first 24 hours of the airplane delivery. So far things have gone quite well. I'm all in once piece and I've been having a good time.  Thank you all for your prayers.  2/3 of the way there!

The Route from Wednesday, June 11

I took off on Wednesday a little later than intended because of the need to wait on a part that had been ordered and needed to be put on the plane before leaving.  That got finished about 2 pm and I got off about 2:45 pm.  After a nice flight across Idaho and Montana, I arrived in beautiful Hazen, ND (KHZE), where I spent the night in the FBO.  They had a couch, a bathroom, a microwave and a coffee maker.  What more do you need?  I'm not sure there was a hotel or motel in the town anyway. One thing that wasn't needed but was cool was a huge scale model of an SR-71 blackbird that was used for wind tunnel testing by Lockheed when that aircraft was developed.  

 Beautiful Mountains of Montana (near Lincoln, MT) 

Cumulus Clouds East of Great Falls, MT.  A view like this is one of the privileges of being a pilot.

The Pilot

The model SR-71

Sunset in Hazen, ND

Thursday morning, I was off by 6:40 am.  It was gorgeous flying, without worry about the icing levels and the high terrain of the Rockies from yesterday.  

The Route from Thursday, June 12

So many lakes in ND!

I made good time across the rest of North Dakota, Minnesota and Wisconsin because of a tailwind, and actually exceeded 200 mph ground speed for a while.  After landing and refueling at Cherry Capital Airport (KTVC) in Traverse City, Michigan, a check of the weather along the route toward Boston led me to call it a night and get a hotel. You don't mess with thunderstorms.  

Another one of those pilot views - a layer of clouds below you that stretches for miles.  Because of this layer I saw very little of Minnesota and Wisconsin

What it looks like when you're going to fly into the side of a cloud (the lines are my propeller tricking my camera)

Airplane Delivery to Boston

Well, the time has come to deliver my airplane to its new owners.  I'm planning to leave tomorrow at around noon and hope to arrive by Thursday evening. We'll finish the transaction on Friday and I'll fly back on a airline flight either Friday or Saturday.

My airplane at Hillsboro Airport a few weeks ago.

I have mixed emotions about selling the plane.  It's a sad moment for me; after more than 250 flight hours in the airplane, it's a well known friend, plus I will miss the freedom of going to the airport and jumping in my airplane whenever I feel like it.  On the other hand, it will be nice not to have to pay for the costs of keeping it anymore. Also on the plus side, I'm excited about the delivery flight.  It's a big challenge to go up against all the weather and distance so I've been putting a lot of thought and planning into the flight.

For you nerdy pilot types, the route will be as follows: KPUW, MSO, GTF, KHZE, KTVC, YYZ, KOWD.  In English that's: Take off from Pullman Aiport, pass over the Missoula VOR, pass over the Great Falls VOR, Land and take on fuel at Mercer County Regional in Hazen ND, Land and take on fuel at Cherry Capital Airport in Traverse City, MI, pass over the Toronto VOR, and finally land at Norwood Memorial Airport in Boston.

If any of you want to follow along my flight on Flight Aware, you can right here.  I will most likely be flying IFR which means you should be able to see my whole route (and it will probably be in three sections). Weather (especially thunderstorms) may change the actual route from what I planned above.

I'd appreciate everyone's prayers for a safe and uneventful trip.  Thanks!

We Are Moving to Portland!

We have had serious progress toward our missionary aviation goals in 2014.  We can report answers to prayer for a variety of matters, including the sale of our house, sale of the airplane and finding a place to live in Portland. 

Our house sale closed last month, and after two trips to Portland we have found an apartment that is within walking distance of school.  We are planning to move sometime between July 1 and July 15.  If all goes as planned (I get to the front of the waiting list for the school), I will be starting AMT school in the fall semester in September. That will leave us this summer to get settled and to get jobs.  I also have also sold my airplane, and will be delivering it to the buyers in Boston this week. 

I am working on becoming a certified flight instructor (CFI), which involves a lot of work and preparation. I'm seeking this certification for several reasons. First, it will enable me to have an employment opportunity while in AMT school.  Second, if I do get a job as a CFI, I will remain current and gain experience in my flying abilities, which will be helpful later as I begin to fly as a missionary. Third, it will make me a better pilot to have to teach; there is no learning experience like teaching. 

I want to take this opportunity to thank so many of you who have given encouragement and well wishes as we have told you our objectives and goals. Obviously this is a time of significant change in life and lifestyle for Karen and me, which can seem overwhelming sometimes.  Thus we are grateful to have prayers and encouragement.    

We would appreciate your prayers for:

• The final details of our apartment falling into place

• A safe trip to Boston to deliver my airplane

• Success and speed in obtaining my CFI certificate

• A safe and easy move to Portland
• Finding a good church in Portland

• Good part time employment in Portland

• Guidance on place of service

• Guidance on choosing a mission agency

As we ask for your prayers, if you have a matter you want us to pray about, please let us know and we will pray.  Galatians 6:2 says: "Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ."